If You Can’t Beat ‘Em…Elsevier to Purchase Sci-Hub | The Scholarly Kitchen

"Exasperated over ineffectual attempts to shut down Sci-Hub, an illegal website for sharing scholarly journal articles, Elsevier has finally decided to purchase the service for an undisclosed sum. Developed by Alexandra Elbakyan, a graduate student from Kazakhstan, Sci-Hub operates with impunity outside the reach of the U.S. and E.U. legal systems. Ms. Elbakyan has failed to appear in court and has repeatedly thumbed her nose at western authorities. Employing other tactics, Elsevier has attempted to persuade Kazakh foreign affairs minister Borat Sagdiyev to take action. However, dealings with the government of Kazakhstan, even when they involve Kokpar — a kind of polo played with a dead goat — have not resulted in closing the site ..."